Case Number 25078: Small Claims Court

ABEL'S FIELD

The Charge

Sometimes the heroes are on the sidelines.

The Case

Seth McArdle (Samuel Davis) is a high school senior with an especially full
plate. Not only must he navigate the usual social and academic pitfalls of high
school, but he has to contend with his young twin sisters, serving as de facto
parent in the absence of his deceased mother and deadbeat father. The pressure
mounts when the bank calls with a foreclosure warning, and Seth's frustrations
spill over into various altercations with the school football team.

An exasperated coach exiles Seth to work after school with Abel the
eccentric groundskeeper (Kevin Sorbo). Their relationship starts off cold and
rocky, but as the two spend more time together, they realize they have more in
common than either thought. The downside: it's pretty much pain and sadness that
they share. The upside: God loves them.

That's right, this is another Christian film. And yes, I understand the
breadth of baggage that accompanies an outing from this genre. Having reviewed
most of the God-centric discs which have come through DVD Verdict's doors over
the years, I've been exposed to all manner of production, from the overwrought
and corny (Fireproof, Seven Days in Utopia), to the genuinely
bracing and well-executed (Saving God, Faith Like Potatoes).
Abel's Field falls somewhere in between.

This is a solid telling of faith that doesn't shy away from the Good News.
Yet it comes up short in the storytelling department, preventing the film from
entering the rarified air of High-Quality Jesus Flicks. Not that Jesus wouldn't
be down with what's happening in Abel's Field. The crux of His message is
present and accounted for: humans are flawed people and make monster mistakes,
but are capable of redemption and achieving forgiveness. This idea of God
salvaging what was previously considered unsalvageable is starkly expressed, and
Abel uses some of his few words to explicitly spell out this premise.

Abel's Field never feels heavy-handed, thanks to Seth and Abel's
realistic grappling with Christianity. It's no spoiler to say that Seth's hard
stance against the Divine eventually softens, but his process getting to that
point feels about right. Abel's a guy with a secret, the revelation of which is
where the film ultimately flags. It's a big narrative turning point, essentially
spilled out in one concentrated burst of exposition, but feels rushed and given
short shrift. Throughout the film, Abel scrawls in a mysterious leather book and
is very protective of it. What is it? What is he writing? Why does he freak out
whenever someone gets closes to it? Don't expect a satisfactory answer, as this
revelation is thrown away at the very end with a lame explanation.